The city will span 6 square kilometres and cost an estimated US$18.7 billion. No cars or personal vehicles will be allowed within the city, which will allow for narrow, cooler walking paths and less smog.

“Sunflower” umbrellas (seen below) will create shade, reflect desert sunlight, and store heat during the day. At night in Masdar, the umbrellas will close, releasing the heat stored during the day and opening up the space for shopping, dining, luxury lodging and even the headquarters of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).

Source: LAVA

Source: LAVA

Source: LAVA

LAVA provides every logistical detail regarding their design, from air circulation to underground intricacies. They have also designed classrooms, hostels, shelters, digital origami tigers and much more.

Is this design really the beginning of a sustainable development trend, or is the project too expensive and unrealistic to succeed? Whatever the answer may be, the world’s first carbon neutral city is an example of innovation and forward-thinking in design that could transform the Earth.

See this 6-minute video that was made by architecture and real estate marketing agency, Wordsearch, for the World Future Energy Summit (WFES) in 2010. It’s a little out of date, but excellent nonetheless.